Archival assures measures to solve flooding is a priority

CEBU, Philippines — Saying that declogging and desilting are just “immediate” responses to the flooding problem, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. assured that a sustainable program to solve flooding is in the pipeline.

The mayor issued the statement following an assessment made by an independent structural engineer who said that the declogging and desilting efforts to ease the flooding are merely a band-aid solution,

In an interview, Archival clarified that while desilting and declogging may be considered a band-aid solution by some, they are immediate responses that can yield results.

He said it has been evident that despite flooding in the city after a heavy downpour, the water flow immediately subsides.

Archival said that with the ongoing desilting and declogging efforts, the water flow will be further improved, as these activities will remove the waste that clogged up the drainage systems and city rivers.

He added that desilting and declogging will also enlarge the capacity of rivers and creeks.

“Ang kanang declogging, wa gyud tay laing choice. Ato gyud nang himuon bisan band-aid, pero at least makatabang na siya,” said Archival.

In the long run, Archival said they are aiming to implement city ordinances on proper waste segregation and management, as well as the establishment of rainwater catchments. Aside from these, Archival said the tree-planting effort, which was recently launched, is also part of the long-term plans.

It was reported that an independent structural engineer and contractor assessed that Cebu City has reached the maximum threshold of urban development.

He added that this is a primary factor in flooding and said that desilting and declogging efforts are mere band-aid solutions to the city’s perennial flooding problem.

This was among the assessments of Engineer Carlo Jaca, who also has expertise in urban planning.

He said that development in the city has already reached its threshold, stressing the need for open spaces.

“Sobra na gyud ta,” said Jaca.

Jaca said it is evident that flooding mostly occured in highly urbanized areas, adding that one reason could be the alteration of nature’s natural flow. He added that the solution lies in enforcing the government’s policy on rainwater catchments, which is backed by an ordinance.

Jaca said there are still open spaces in Cebu City that can be converted into rainwater catchments.

He added that this required strong collaboration with barangay captains, who can assist in identifying which open spaces are available.

He added  that this is crucial for barangays, which often request developments, such as basketball courts rather than focusing on water management.

Jaca said that a minimum of 150 liters per person must be stored per day.

Jaca said that urban planning in Metro Cebu may have failed, and that water management, including flood mitigation measures, is often overlooked.

Cebu City recently declared a state of calamity to fast-track the utilization of the quick response fund, particularly for the rental of equipment for declogging and desilting efforts.

For Jaca, these are “band-aid solutions” to the city’s ongoing flooding problem. (CEBU NEWS)